Scottish Executive

Census

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what provision has been made for census enumerators to receive visual impairment and deafblind awareness training.

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was carried out regarding the accessibility of the census forms to visually impaired and deafblind people.

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what provision has been made for census forms and accompanying information to be made available to blind, partially sighted and deafblind people in accessible formats, with particular reference to (a) Braille, (b) large print, (c) disc and (d) audio tape.

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether census returns from blind, partially sighted and deafblind people will be accepted if they are returned in alternative formats, with particular reference to (a) large print, (b) Braille, (c) disc, (d) audio tape and (e) e-mail.

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to provide one-to-one assistance with the completion of the census forms to visually impaired and deafblind people.

Mr Jim Wallace: Special arrangements to assist those who are visually impaired or have hearing difficulties to complete a census form have been made through the Registrar General’s Community Liaison Initiative for the census, which was introduced last year. The twin aims of the initiative are to raise awareness of the census among those groups in the population thought to have been undercounted in the 1991 census, and to establish contact with a range of voluntary organisations in order that their assistance could be enlisted to help people who, for one reason or another, might be apprehensive about the census, or who might have difficulty in completing a census form.

  Initial contact was made by the General Register Office for Scotland at national level with organisations which included those representing people with particular disabilities, such as the Scottish Council on Deafness and the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). From these initial contacts a database of local contacts was established enabling the 22 Census Area Managers throughout Scotland to develop locally a link with these groups so that, in the event of someone needing help, frontline skilled assistance would be available from the representative organisations. These organisations were provided with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the Census Area Managers.

  The aim is for the local voluntary groups to let census managers know of individual people who may require assistance to complete a census form so that census field staff can tap in to this assistance, often provided by someone familiar to the householder. Citizens Advice Bureaux may also be able to provide help.

  Census enumerators will receive instructions and training on dealing with the public generally as well as with people who may have difficulty completing their form. The enumerators are instructed to provide assistance where this is unavailable from the professional sources mentioned, or from relatives, friends, neighbours, home helps etc.

  The census questions and the information leaflet, which is delivered along with the census form, are available in Braille and in large print to standards agreed with RNIB. There is also a census telephone helpline and a textphone for the deaf. Both numbers are shown on the census form, as well as on the Braille and the large print leaflets. Videos used by Census Area Managers in community liaison meetings include subtitles for use by those who have hearing difficulties. Two audiotapes have been produced for circulation by the Scottish Talking Newspaper group. The first gives a general overview of the census and the questions being asked, while the second covers the help available to persons with a sight impairment. Census managers are also able to seek the services of British Sign Language interpreters where necessary.

  The census form has been designed so that many of the questions can be answered by ticking a box and the information can be captured using modern digital scanning technology. This will deliver major cost savings compared with traditional clerical processing. The precision required in this process coupled with the sheer volume of the operation means that it is not practical to offer the actual forms in large print or in Braille. If, however, someone cannot complete a census form, they can contact the Census Helplines and arrangements will be put in place for help to be provided to complete the form through the Community Liaison Initiative or by census staff. Alternatively, those needing assistance can tell the enumerator who will notify the field managers of the kind of assistance required.

  The census form is not available for completion by email because of concerns about confidentiality, duplication and authentication, and the low value for money of setting up electronic completion facilities in tandem with those for completion of the paper forms.

Digital Technology

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its press release of 5 February 2001, what programmes the £250 million committed to digital initiatives will be allocated to and what the timescale is for achieving this expenditure.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The press release on 5 February 2001 noted that the Executive has already committed £250 million for digital initiatives including schools, hospitals and across the public sector.

  The table below details the programmes that funds have been allocated to and the timescale for this expenditure.

  


Initiative 
  

1999-2000
(£ million) 
  

2000-01
(£ million) 
  

2001-02
(£ million) 
  

2002-03
(£ million) 
  

2003-04
(£ million) 
  

Total
(£ million) 
  



Modernising Government Fund 
  

- 
  

13 
  

13 
  

- 
  

- 
  

26 
  



Digital Champions 
  

- 
  

0.5 
  

0.5 
  

0.5 
  

- 
  

1.5 
  



Community Cybercafes 
  

- 
  

0.6 
  

0.5 
  

0.5 
  

- 
  

1.6 
  



National Grid for Learning (NGfL) 
  

29.5 
  

35.5 
  

28.5 
  

- 
  

- 
  

93.5 
  



NGfL for FE colleges 
  

5 
  

10 
  

14 
  

- 
  

- 
  

29 
  



New Opportunity Funds1

















25.3 
  



Electronic Health Services 
  




7 
  

23 
  

20 
  




50 
  



Knowledge Economy - ICT Pervasiveness 
  
 
 

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

15 
  



E- Institutes 
  
 
 

1.5 
  

2 
  

2 
  

5.5 
  



Knowledge Economy - Softer skills 
  
 
 

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

6 
  



Connected Voluntary Sector 
  
 
 

0.5 
  

0.5 
  

0.5 
  

1.5 
  



Total 
  
 
 
 
 
 

254.9 
  



  Notes:

  1. This entry relates to £23 million for the Community Access to Lifelong Learning (CALL) programme funded by the New Opportunities Fund (£11.5 million allocated for public libraries and £11.5 million for community bids) and also £2.3 million for public library training from the New Opportunity Fund ICT training programme.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many circulars and guidance notes it or the Scottish Office has sent to local authority education departments this year and in each of the past four years.

Mr Jack McConnell: Since 1997, the number of circulars issued to education authorities by the Scottish Office and Scottish Executive has been as follows:

  


1997 
  

6 
  



1998 
  

9 
  



1999 
  

7 
  



2000 
  

5 
  



2001 
  

1 
  



  In addition, a range of advice has been provided by the Scottish Office and Scottish Executive, including by HM Inspectors of Schools.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of inward investment there has been into Scotland from (a) May 1999 to May 2000 and (b) May 2000 to January 2001.

Ms Wendy Alexander: In the year April 1999 to March 2000, Locate in Scotland and its partners helped to attract to Scotland a total of 91 projects involving planned investment of £650 million and the expected creation or safeguarding of over 19,000 jobs. This represented Scotland’s strongest ever performance in this highly competitive market.

  Locate in Scotland does not publish aggregate results for inward investment until after the end of the year to which the figures relate. With the expectation that the current year would be very tough, the key targets for the period April 2000 to March 2001 were set as 60 projects, involving planned investment of £500 million, and the expected creation or safeguarding of 7,000 jobs. The final verified results will be published, as usual, in June.

Environment

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12675 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 5 February 2001, which local expert bodies confirmed the opinion of North Ayrshire Council that the noise around Largs does not constitute a statutory nuisance; what methods were employed by these bodies to reach this conclusion; what specific enquiries were carried out by the Executive regarding the issue, including details of any bodies or people it consulted and any methodology, equipment and techniques used by the Executive or those it consulted, and what the conclusions of all those involved in its enquiries were.

Mr Sam Galbraith: As well as consulting North Ayrshire Council, the Executive contacted Scottish Power, the Royal Navy, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Mr Leslie Mair of Glasgow Caledonian University. Technical questions about the specific methods used to investigate the alleged noise nuisance around Largs would be best addressed to the organisations and individuals concerned.

Football

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it intends to give to professional football clubs to help establish football academies in each financial year from 2001-02 to 2003-04.

Allan Wilson: Over the period 2001-03, up to £4,000,000 will be made available through  sportscotland and about £1,000,000 will be made available from Reduction in Pools Betting Duty monies.

Football

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which professional football clubs will receive financial assistance to establish football academies in the next three financial years, specifying the amount each club will receive in each year.

Allan Wilson: Awards of financial assistance will be determined by assessment of applications received. It is not possible, therefore, to say which clubs will benefit and to what extent. I do expect, however, to be able to announce shortly the first  sportscotland awards for football academies.

Football

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied in deciding whether to provide financial assistance to professional football clubs for the establishment of football academies.

Allan Wilson: The criteria applied to the funding available through  sportscotland are the Policies and Procedures of the Scottish Lottery Fund Football Academy Strand. These criteria are based on the proposals drawn up and endorsed by the Scottish Football Partnership established by the Scottish Executive. Criteria for other sources of funding have yet to be established.

Fuel Poverty

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it plans to have with Scottish Gas on the impact on the Executive’s fuel poverty strategy of Scottish Gas’s decision to freeze electricity prices in Scotland while cutting them by 3.7% in England and Wales and to increase gas prices in Scotland by 4.7% while not increasing them in England.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Although responsibility for policy on energy pricing is a reserved matter, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Scottish Gas on a range of issues, including concerns about fuel poverty in Scotland. The current rise of 4.7% in the price of gas must be seen in the context of a fall in gas prices over the last five years of around 20% in real terms. The effect of the rise on domestic consumers will be to cause a marginal increase in fuel poverty, but this will be mitigated by a number of programmes across Government aimed at helping low-income households.

Health

Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to improve access to primary health care services in the Highlands and Islands.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is determined to improve access to primary care services across Scotland, and just some of its current initiatives are set out below:

  Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change sets out our commitment to ensure that patients in every part of Scotland can get access to an appropriate member of the primary care team in no more than 48 hours.

  The development of Personal Medical Services (PMS) will enable PCTs to employ salaried GPs to fill gaps in current service provision and enhance existing services, particularly in remote and rural areas. In addition, I announced on 19 February an additional £18.5 million over the next three years for PMS development, and Highland Health Board have been given a notional allocation of £228,078 to help provide greater access to its primary care services.

  The development of NHS 24, which will provide the public of Scotland with 24-hour access to advice and information, will ensure that patients are provided with direct access to the appropriate health or care service in one phone call. NHS 24 will build links with GPs and their out-of-hours services, as well as other NHS services, to ensure that a fully integrated system is put in place.

  We have set up a Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative with funding of £8 million over a three-year period. The initiative is looking at new and innovative ways of providing services in the less populated parts of Scotland and improving access to services will be a central theme in its work. Our National Health makes clear that health boards will be expected to start rolling out successful projects in their areas by April 2002.

Legislation

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a Tenement Law Bill and, if so, when.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Law Commission published its Report on the Law of the Tenement (Scot Law Com No 162) in 1998. Following the publication of the subsequent Report on Real Burdens (Scot Law Com No 181) in October 2000, the Executive asked the Commission to update its recommendations on the law of the tenement to take account of its subsequent work on real burdens and title conditions. This is because the management of tenements is governed by rules and conditions set out as rights and real burdens in the relevant title deeds. The modernisation and simplification of the law on real burdens will rationalise the application and enforcement of burdens on all property, including tenements. Reforming the law relating to real burdens and title conditions first will mean that reform of the law of the tenement should be more straightforward. A Tenement (Scotland) Bill will therefore be introduced after enactment of the Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill when an opportunity arises in the legislative programme.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it expects the recent local government finance settlement to have on the sport and cultural services provided by local authorities.

Allan Wilson: The settlement provides local authorities with an additional £1.2 billion in Scottish Executive support over the next three years and with the stability of firm three-year grant figures. This should enable them to improve the range and quality of local services, including sport and cultural facilities, although it is for each authority to determine its service priorities.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on extending compulsory treatment of patients with mental health problems in the community.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Millan Committee, in its report New Directions , which was published on 25 January, recommends the introduction of a community order, where a patient meets the criteria for compulsory measures. The Executive is considering the report and proposes to publish a policy statement in the summer, setting out, as promised in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change , proposals for a modern legislative framework to meet the needs of people with a mental illness who require care and support, both in hospital and the community.

NHS Boards

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that local authorities have a strong voice on the new NHS Boards referred to in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change .

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13146 on 20 February 2001.

NHS Spending

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of expenditure, by health board area, on electronic service delivery in the health service for the current financial year and of projected expenditure for each of the next two years.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally.

New Deal

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will extend the choice of courses available to clients on the full-time education and training element of the New Deal.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.

  The New Deal is very much about designing flexible, local provision to meet the needs of unemployed young people and prevailing labour market conditions. Each year local partnerships review closely the provision on offer and adjust this to suit local needs.

New Deal

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of the gateway element of the New Deal.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.

  Statistics are monitored monthly with a view to improve or develop performance. However, I understand there are no plans to undertake a formal evaluation of the Gateway.

New Deal

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific steps it is taking to reduce the number of early leavers from the full-time education and training element of the New Deal.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.

  Improvements are being considered to the New Deal options including the full-time education and training option. In addition, through the Innovation Fund there is funding for specific projects addressing the issue of early leavers.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of the administration costs of each non-departmental public body (NDPB) for which it is responsible and what percentage of the total expenditure of each such body administration costs represent.

Angus MacKay: Detailed financial information relating to non-departmental public bodies is contained within the Annual Report and Accounts for individual bodies. Under current guidance NDPBs are required to publish annual reports and accounts in order to inform Parliament and the public of their expenditure and activities.

Planning

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will call in the planning application relating to Scottish Coal’s plans for opencast mining at Broken Cross Muir, Lanarkshire.

Mr Sam Galbraith: No. On 14 February South Lanarkshire Council indicated their intention to grant planning permission, subject to conditions and the satisfactory conclusion of a legally binding agreement under section 75 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1997. There are no planning reasons which would require the Scottish ministers to intervene.

Rail Services

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the rail sleeper service to Fort William will be restored.

Sarah Boyack: I understand that ScotRail will make a decision on the reinstatement of sleeper services north of Edinburgh after consideration of a report recently submitted by Railtrack Midland Zone concerning a programme of necessary repairs to track between Crewe and London.

Renewable Energy

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the buy-out price for renewable energy is set at the same figure as for England and Wales and at the same level for each of the alternative energy sources.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Our proposal to set the same buy-out price under the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) (ROS) as for England and Wales will ensure that the UK market for renewable energy is not distorted. A lower Scottish buy-out price would make it difficult for Scottish electricity suppliers to meet our ROS targets, since renewables generators would tend to sell their Renewables Obligation Certificates to suppliers in the English market where prices would be higher. A higher Scottish buy-out price would place higher costs on all Scottish electricity consumers. The proposal to set the same buy-out price in Scotland as in England and Wales has been widely supported by respondents to our consultation on the ROS.

  The policy of setting the same buy-out price for all renewable technologies will allow the market to choose which technologies it wishes to use to meet the targets, but we are aware of the need to promote the development of longer-term technologies.

Renewable Energy

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to support or promote a trading exchange for green certificates in energy and how such a scheme would operate.

Mr Sam Galbraith: It is expected that the new Renewables Obligation (Scotland), and equivalent obligations elsewhere, will eventually result in a market for renewables obligation certificates, which will be traded separately from the renewable electricity they will represent. But it will be for renewable energy generators, electricity suppliers and others involved in the energy markets to decide what form this certificate market will take and whether there should be a trading exchange.

Schools

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is, in total and broken down by component, of each of the four school Public/Private Partnership projects recently confirmed by Highland Council.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is not directly involved in the detailed contract and cost provisions of school PPP projects which individual local authorities may be pursuing. Any enquiries about the detailed costs of this project should be directed to the Highland Council.

Scottish Executive Departments

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to relocate any of its departmental headquarters from Edinburgh to other parts of Scotland and whether it will provide details of any such plans.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive has set up the headquarters of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department in Glasgow. This involved the transfer of 140 posts from Edinburgh to Glasgow. We have also set up the headquarters of the Food Standards Agency (Scotland) in Aberdeen and announced that the Public Guardian’s Office will be set up in Falkirk.

  I announced on 1 December in the answer to question S1W-11704 that detailed studies of the location of six bodies would be undertaken and that, if the Parliament passes the necessary legislation to enable them to be established, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council will not be located in Edinburgh.

  In setting out the relocation policy, the then First Minister indicated in the answer to question S1W-1558 that most of the headquarters functions of the Scottish Executive Departments are located in Edinburgh (or, in the case of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department, in Glasgow) and that the Executive expected this to remain the case since they typically involve frequent meetings with ministers and the Scottish Parliament. This remains the view of the Scottish Executive.

Tourism

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been approached by Aberdeen City Council for additional finance in order to allow it to make an increased contribution to the funding of Aberdeen’s tourist information centre.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: No. The Executive has increased Aberdeen City Council’s revenue grant by 15.2% over the next three years, a total of £30.4 million over the period. I hope that this will enable the council to look favourably at the amount of support they provide to their tourist board.

Traffic

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of traffic passes through the town of Dalry, Ayrshire on the A737 at peak times of day and whether this represents a hazard to pedestrians or the environment.

Sarah Boyack: At weekday morning peak times between 7am and 8am a total average of 838 vehicles flow through Dalry. A total average of 964 vehicles pass through at weekday evening peak times between 4pm and 5pm hours.

Transport

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend relevant legislation so as to place restrictions, similar to those which apply to bicycles, on the use of micro-scooters in public places.

Mr Jim Wallace: No. The use of a micro-scooter in a footway, footpath or cycle track is an offence under section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. The level and manner of enforcement is an operational matter for Chief Constables.

Water Industry

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all grant and relief schemes to the water industry which have been withdrawn in each of the last four years; what the total estimated value was of each scheme, and what the total estimated overall loss is to those in receipt of such schemes.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Domestic Sewerage Relief Grant worth £89.7 million/£59.2 million/£29.7 million was paid to the water authorities in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 respectively. This was a transitional scheme designed to assist domestic customers cope with the payment for the sewerage service received. It is the only grant paid to the water authorities which has been withdrawn in the past four years.

  The withdrawal of relief to customer groups is a matter for the water authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.